President Donald Trump pushed for Attorney General William Barr to hold a news conference declaring he did nothing wrong during his phone call with Ukraine’s leader, reports The Washington Post.
Trump in July asked Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskiy to work with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Attorney General William Barr to look into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House would initiate a formal impeachment against Trump based on the call, charging him with betraying his oath of office and the nation’s security by seeking to enlist a foreign leader to tarnish a political rival for personal gain.
Trump in late September reportedly requested Barr to hold a press conference to assert the president broke no laws.
Barr instead released a statement, causing tension between the White House and the DOJ.
A senior administration official told the Post there wasn’t any strain.
“The DOJ did in fact release a statement about the call and the claim that it resulted in tension because it wasn’t a news conference is completely false,” the person said.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Trump and Barr remain on good terms.
“The President has nothing but respect for AG Barr and greatly appreciates the work he’s done on behalf of the country — and no amount of shady sources with clear intent to divide, smear, and slander will change that.”
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